The charts compare 
marriage
 and divorce figures in the United States between 1970 and 2000, alongside changes in adult marital status over the same period. Use synonyms
Overall
, the data indicate a gradual reduction in Linking Words
marriage
 rates, a fluctuating trend in divorces, and notable shifts in the population’s marital status.
Use synonyms
To begin
 with, marriages decreased steadily from 2.5 Linking Words
million
 in 1970 to 2 Use synonyms
million
 by 2000. Unlike Use synonyms
marriage
 rates, divorces rose from 1 Use synonyms
million
 to a peak of 1.4 Use synonyms
million
 in 1980, Use synonyms
then
 slowly declined to the original level by 2000. Linking Words
This
 contrast suggests changing attitudes towards long-term relationships.
Regarding marital status, there was a 10 percentage point drop in the proportion of married adults, Linking Words
while
 the share of people who had never married doubled from 15% to 20%. Separation Linking Words
also
 increased significantly, from nearly 3% to 9%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who lost their spouses stayed relatively stable at around 7–8%. The tendency suggests a move away from Linking Words
marriage
, as more individuals remain single.Use synonyms